Scelles foundation: 42 million people worldwide are prostitutes

PARIS / FRANCE - According to the report of the Scelles Foundation, which fights against sexual exploitation, 42 million people prostitute themselves in the world today, the vast majority (75 %) of women between 13 and 25 years. The phenomenon was analyzed by Scelles in 24 countries and found an increase in trafficking from Brazil to Europe.

By ANTONIO CARLOS LACERDA
PRAVDA.RU

Among the 24 analyzed countries are France, USA, India, China and Mexico and the report says that the number of sex workers may reach 42 million worldwide. The study also reveals that 90 % of them are connected to so-called pimps.

The paper also considers the issue of sexual exploitation by networks of human trafficking. According to the report, the largest number of victims is concentrated in Asia, which accounts for 56 % of cases.

Latin America and the rich countries recorded respectively 10% and 10.8% of those trafficked into sex-related activities, says 'World Report on Sexual Exploitation - Prostitution in the heart of organized crime' , published in a book.

Almost half of the victims of human trafficking networks are children and youths under 18 years. An estimated two million children in the world are prostitutes. This is one of the characteristics of prostitution these days: a large number of children are sexually exploited," says the document.

Trafficking of Brazilian women

Judge Yves Charpenel, president of Scelles Foundation, says there is not enough done to assess the increase in prostitution according to worldwide data.

"The striking element in Europe is the proliferation of prostitutes coming from different countries, usually controlled by gangs that circulate throughout the continent," he says.

The study by the French foundation, based on data from the UN agency on drugs and crime said that the trafficking of Brazilian women in Europe was increasing. The document does not disclose, however, the figures for this growth.

"These victims come from poor communities in northern Brazil, such as Amazonas, Pará, Roraima and Amapá. If the majority of prostitutes in Europe are of Eastern European countries and former Soviet republics, the prevalence of these groups appears to be decreasing in the continent," says the report, adding that in addition to this the number of Brazilian is increasing.

Last December, Spanish police dismantled an international prostitution ring that held dozens of Brazilian minors under false imprisonment.

The study also states that major sporting events like the World Cup Soccer and the Olympics, contributes to this phenomenon of prostitution. "Football and the Olympics are identified as the most common scenarios of sexual exploitation," the report states.

According to the text, these major international competitions allow criminal networks to increase the supply of prostitutes.

In South Africa, for example, 1 billion condoms were ordered by the authorities to address any health risks during the World Cup in 2010. The number of prostitutes in the country, estimated at 100 thousand, increased by 40 thousand people during the event.

According to Scelles Foundation, the Internet also contributes to enlarge prostitution in the world. "Networks of pimps now recruit people on social networks like Facebook and Twitter," says the study, citing a case in Indonesia where authorities arrested suspects trying to entice young students on Facebook and Yahoo Messenger.

In the United States, the majority of child prostitutes are recruited by pimps on the website Craigslist, the ad says the study. "Pimps make false job offers as a model and use the victims to recruit other young people."
 
ANTONIO CARLOS LACERDA is International Correspondent of PRAVDA.RU